Vocal Competition

The Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert presented the 31st Annual Vocal Competition December 7, 2014 at the brand new Helene Galen Performing Arts Center at Rancho Mirage High School. The Competition drew a near capacity crowd of over 500 people. This annual free event is one of three major programs produced by the Guild. The Competition offers talented young singers an opportunity to perform before an enthusiastic audience and win valuable scholarships.

Many past winners now celebrities

Sondra Radvanovsky

Many Competition winners are currently singing with major opera companies in such venues as Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, the New York Metropolitan, LA Opera, San Diego Opera and Santa Fe Opera. Among the most famous are tenor Charles Castronovo who has appeared in virtually every major opera house in the world; soprano Sondra Radvanovsky who recently sang the title role in Norma at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and travels to Moscow for a concert in March; soprano Angela Meade, featured on the November cover of Opera News and singing with Placido Domingo in the Met production of Ernani in March/April, 2015; and soprano Amber Wagner who debuted at the Met in Nabucco and was featured in the film THE AUDITION. Click here to read about previous winners

Who Competes?

Young men and women between the ages of 18 and 32 in the calendar year residing in the western United States submit applications and are auditioned to narrow the field down to nine finalists. Each finalist performs two arias at the final Competition; all singers receive a scholarship, with prizes totaling more than $20,000. In addition, an Audience Choice prize of $1000 is awarded. The event allows young singers to earn valuable experience, cash scholarships, community recognition of their achievements and the opportunity to advance their careers. Applications for the 2015 Competition to be held on December 6 will be available later this spring. Watch this site for updates.